Most Canadians would prefer the majority of vehicles sold in the future to be EVs.

The poll carried out by Clean Energy Canada shows that 64 percent of Canadians would prefer electric vehicles to be the majority of vehicles sold in the future. 72 percent of respondents thought EVs would become the majority of cars sold globally.

The Clean Energy Poll

The poll of driving-age Canadians breaks down the respondents by province, generation, and political party. Only supporters of the Conservative Party don't want the majority of cars sold to be EV's and even of that group 46 percent preferred a majority of cars be EVs.

71 percent of those polled thought that the change would happen in 15 years or less, and 56 percent thought it would happen in 10 years or less. A majority of those polled said that if they were to buy a new car now they would likely prefer and EV.

On air pollution, climate impact, fuel costs, maintenance costs, reliability concerns and driving enjoyment respondents preferred EV's except for the last two. Even there on driving enjoyment the response was close to even.

The Canadian poll numbers are similar to those of a poll of US drivers. In that poll 74 percent said that EV's are the future of driving. The American poll found that charging station availability was the largest concern for those considering the purchase of EVs. In Canada 45 percent of respondents said that knowing there are enough charging stations was really important.

Canadians also showed strong support for government rebates and tax incentives as a way of encouraging people to by EVs. They also supported government investment in charging infrastructure.

The survey was carried out between March 11-13 2019 online. 1,495 Canadian residents were polled all over age 18.

Electric vehicle sales in Canada

Statista has data for EV sales from 2013 to 2018. Sales have risen dramatically each year. In 2017 there were only 17,086 EVs sold according to Statista whereas in 2018 this more than doubled to 42,700.

There is a more detailed report by electrik.co for 2017:Electric vehicle adoption in Canada grew significantly last year according to a new report.There are now close to 50,000 plug-in vehicles in the country and sales grew 68% in 2017.

That’s based on a new report published yesterday by Canada’s Fleetcarma.The bulk of the increase can be attributed to a 120% increase in Ontario, which drove sales in the entire country. Historically, Quebec has been driving EV sales in Canada despite not being the most populous province, but Ontario is now taken the lead for the first time after introducing some of the most generous EV incentives ever seen, including a direct rebate of $14,000 on some electric cars.

The report gives the data for sales in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia over several years. All other provinces have very low figures with Alberta being the province with the fourth largest sales with only 430 cars sold in 2017. Manitoba has over 5,000 hybrid vehicles but only 188 battery only EVs registered. In 2017 in Canada as a whole battery-electric vehicles (BEV) outsold the hybrids (PHEV).

Previously published in Digital Journal

Canada's revenue from oil and gas industry in decline

A new comprehensive report on Canada's energy sector has been released. The report claims that Canada's remaining fossil fuels are being sold off at low prices and with declining returns to federal and provincial governments.

The full report or a summary can be downloaded here.

Revenues from Canadian oil and gas production are declining

Three decades ago, many Canadian governments earned substantial income from the country's oil and gas production mostly through royalties or taxes. This is no longer the case the report claims.

Just since 2000 revenue from hydrocarbon production has plummeted 63 percent. Revenue from corporate taxes on drilling and refining activity has declined by more than half as well.

The report, Canada's Energy Outlook

The report is researched and written by David Hughes, an earth scientist and one of Canada's foremost energy experts. His report takes a hard look at Canadian energy production, emissions, low carbon alternatives, and the decline of revenues over time from our energy resource-based industries. The data used comes from a wide range of resources and data bases such as that of Natural Resources Canada, Drillininfo, BP Statistical Review of World Energy and also provincial budgets.

The lucrative energy industry is putting less and less money into the governments coffers even though it is claimed that the energy company profits are paying for such items as better schools and hospitals. The overall picture is one of dramatic and continuing revenue shrinkage.

Many sources show that revenue to the government from fossil fuels actually peaked in 2008 along with a spike in the price of gas and oil but since then revenues have been in decline.

As mentioned, just since 2,000 royalty revenue has declined from oil and gas production by 63 percent even though national oil production grew by 75 percent.Hughes notes: “Canada’s non-renewable energy resources are clearly being sold off for ever-decreasing benefit."

Alberta as a case study

The province of Alberta is Canada's largest extractor of oil. Oil and gas production in Alberta has doubled since 1980, primarily due to expansion of production in the Oil Sands. Yet, revenue from royalties has declined from 80 percent of provincial revenues in 1979 to just an estimated 3.3 percent in 2016 according to Hughes, a huge decline.

There was a peak in Alberta's revenue from oil and gas of $14 billion in 1979. The next record was a spike to $17 billion in 2005 much of this from natural gas. Ever since that time there has been a steep decline. The government has a policy of favoring an increase in production rather than attempting to maximize value produced for the government. The report said that in 2016 the estimated revenue from oil and gas extraction was only $1.4 billion — down fully 90 percent from the 2005 levels.

The report also claims that data compiled by the Canadian Association of Petroleum producers shows that royalty revenues paid to oil exporting provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland, declined from 2000 to 2015 from $11.1 billion to $4.1 billion. This was a period during which the price of oil had climbed to highs of more than a hundred dollars a barrel.

Corporate tax payments from oil and gas extraction also declined

Between 1997 and 2015 tax revenue from oil and gas extraction, made up 30 percent of total government revenues. But that amount has been declining. Corporate income tax peaked back in 2006 and has declined 51 percent since that time. Although there has been a 45 percent growth in oil production since 2006. The report notes that the oft-cited claim that growing oil and gas production is vital to Canada's economic being has become less true over the past decade.

British Columbia is also experiencing declining royalties

Gas production has doubled in BC since 2005 but royalty and other revenue from non-renewable resource has declined by 84 percent and constituted only one per cent of government revenue last year.

The Tyee has reported that between 2009 and 2014 the BC government subsidized oil and gas companies fracking shale basins by extending them more than $1 billion in tax credits.

The energy industry is mature and shrinking

The industry is now becoming dependent upon extracting resources of lower quality and which require intensive use of energy to extract and often contribute to greenhouse gases.

The percent of the overall workforce in the oil and gas industry is only 2.23 percent and often the jobs are temporary construction work, such as that in the Oil Sands. Even in Alberta there are fewer than seven percent of the workforce employed in fossil fuel extraction and distribution.

In 1997, the percentage of Canada's GDP contributed by the energy industry was 9.2 percent, whereas in 2015 it was only 7.4 percent.

Conclusion

The report claims that politicians do not understand that oil and gas producers exploit the most high grade resources first and leave "the lower-quality, higher emissions, and higher environmental-impact resources for the last."

We do not know how long it will take to transfer to renewable energy resources. Currently, renewable sources make up only three percent of the energy supply. Hughes argue that we should not be selling off our dwindling oil and gas resources at low prices as they remain a valuable backstop for us. Hughes claims: “Selling off the best of Canada’s remaining non-renewable resources at low prices, with minimal and declining returns to the public, compromises future energy security.”

Previously published in Digital Journal

Canadian personal debt is over 160 percent of disposable income late in 2014

Canadians' disposable income is not growing as fast as their borrowing. Canadian personal debt grew to 163.3 percent of disposable income in the fourth quarter of 2014.

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With interest at historic lows and the cheapest mortgages in years, many Canadians are assuming larger debt amounts. Last month five-year conventional mortgage rates fell 4.74 percent, the lowest since records started in 1975. The Bank of Canada cut the interest rate even further in January as the drop in oil prices threatened parts of the economy in areas such as Alberta. New homes prices fell 0.1 percent in January as builders try to entice new home buyers.

In January this year according to a Royal Bank study, Canadian household debt grew by 4.6 percent. This is close to the fastest growth in two years. Household debt in Canada was $1.82 trillion in January greater than Canadian GDP which on an annualized basis was below this at $1.65 trillion in January. Much of the debt comes from mortgages that grew 6.3 percent last year. While debt is rising, some forms of expensive debts are being cut back. While Credit card debt did rise by 2.7 percent last year, that is less than the increase in other forms of debt. In January of this year Credit Card debt fell 22 per cent from the month before. Of course, December is Xmas month.

However, in the last three months, the amount of personal loans declined by 16 percent as well. Putting the situation in the lingo of finance, Royal Bank of Canada(RBC) economist Laura Cooper writes:“There is a risk that highly accommodative financial conditions could exacerbate household imbalances as evidenced by the recent strengthening in mortgage accumulation,”As worries accumulate about the long-term health of the economy, businesses are turning to short-term rather than long-term loans. Short-term loans were up 12 percent this year in January compared to last year.

Analysts worry that Canada's personal debt is now outpacing that of most developed countries. The McKinsey Global Institute claims that Canada and Australia, together with a number of countries in northern Europe " now have larger household debt burdens than existed in the US or the UK at the peak of the credit bubble" according to their new analysis. The Institute analysis looked at 47 different countries and identified seven with"potential vulnerabilities" including Canada, Australia, Sweden and the Netherlands. The report was based upon data from the second quarter of last year. Since then oil prices have crashed putting Canada's economy even more at risk.

Susan Lund, of a McKinsey partner in Washington, said: “What the financial crisis showed us is that when you have rising real-estate prices and rising household debt, it can be a deadly mix. You have to manage each carefully,”The Bank of Canada rate cut is a tempting policy designed to spur growth but it makes monitoring of debt levels even more crucial. It might be wise to tighten rules for lending if mortgage debt increases too much. Mortgage amounts have increased as house prices in Canada have risen 89 percent in Canada between 2000 and 2007. Data for Canada may be somewhat warped by the fact that debt of unincorporated businesses in Canada is counted as personal debt whereas in some countries it counts as corporate debt.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC), Canada's federal housing agency, has also issued a warning to the finance ministry back in 2014 about high household debt levels and very high house price levels in some markets. Blacklock's Reporter said the CMHC made these comments in a confidential memo. Blacklock claimed the memo said when it called for a "soft landing adjustment" for the housing market that has been rising quickly because of lower interest rates: "We are, however, concerned about reduced household flexibility resulting from elevated debt levels as well as diversion of capital into residential housing investments, Likewise, elevated prices in some urban markets further compound affordability concerns."The CMHC would not comment on the memorandum.

Bank of Canada surprises markets with rate drop

In a surprise move, Canada's central bank, the Bank of Canada, reduced the overnight lending rate by a quarter of a percentage point. The reason given was the threat to the economy of plunging oil prices.

The move by the Bank reduced the lending rate from 1.0 percent to 0.75 percent. The Bank governor Stephen Poloz said: "The drop in oil prices is unambiguously negative for the Canadian economy. Canada's income from oil exports will be reduced, and investment and employment in the energy sector are already being cut." While the overall effect of the drop in oil prices may be negative, the impact will vary from province to province. With its huge oil resources, Alberta will suffer a significant drop in income from royalties and a decline in economic activity in the oil patch, but other provinces with industries that use oil welcome the lower prices for inputs. Consumers, airlines, truckers, and cabbies will be cheering the downward trend in fuel prices.

 The Toronto Stock Market (TSX) was up almost 300 points not long after the announcement. No doubt the reduced rate will be expected to boost consumer demand and help raise the level of economic activity. Almost no economists had been predicting the rate cut at this time but more were suggesting it could happen in the future. 

The rate decrease, follows upon a recent downgrading of both global growth and Canadian growth in the World Economic Outlook for 2015 published by the IMF. The forecast reduced global growth rates by 0.3 percent to 3.5 percent in 2015 and 3.7 percent in 2016. Canada's growth was downgraded 0.1 percent to 2.3 percent for 2015 and even more 0.3 percent for 2016 to just 2.1 percent. The drop in oil prices by about 50 percent since September 2014 was cited as the main reason for the IMF downgrade. In June of last year oil was at $105 US a barrel but now is well below $50 a barrel. The Bank of Canada also downgraded its prediction for Canada's growth in 2015 from 2.4 percent to 2.1 percent even lower than the IMF prediction, although contrary to the IMF, it sees a rise to 2.4 percent in 2016. 

The Bank made its projection on the assumption that oil prices will average about $60 dollars a barrel over the next two years. Derek Burleton, an economist at TD Bank said: "It is a significant move. It does show the Bank of Canada is worried about the big drop in the price of oil ... and what kind of uncertainty that poses in the next few quarters. I don't think they are panicking but I do think they're concerned about some of the uncertainty the recent slump in the price of oil does create for the economy." BMO economist, Michael Gregory, said: "Today’s BoC rate cut smacks of being a one-time 'insurance' move but in his presser, Governor Poloz indicated that if the world changes again (adversely for Canada) the Bank could take out more insurance."  

The Bank predicts that the lower oil and energy prices will reduce inflation at least temporarily but over the projected two year period will again approach the target two percent level. The Canadian dollar, the loonie, is trending much lower. BNN reports: Charles St-Arnaud, senior economist at Nomura Securities International Inc., said the drop in crude will prompt the central bank to lower its growth forecast by 0.5 percent.The loonie depreciated 1.4 percent to $82.55 cents US in Toronto Tuesday, at one point touching its weakest level since April 2009. Nomura forecasts it will reach 80 cents US by the middle of the year. The lower loonie will help Canadian exporters but imports from the US will rise in price and the flow of shoppers across the border may slow considerably as the loonie declines in value against the US dollar.

Canada opposes UN bill opposing glorification of Nazism

Last Friday, Canada along with the U.S. opposed a resolution that was meant to combat glorification of Nazism. The only other country to vote against the resolution was Ukraine.

The resolution was put forward by Russia and a number of other countries. The entire resolution can be viewed here. Part of the resolution claims to be for “combating glorification of Nazism, neo-nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.” There were 55 abstentions including many EU countries. This Lithuanian source explains some of the reasoning behind some of the abstentions. There were 115 countries in favor of the resolution including India, Iran, but also Israel.
 While the Russian motion was no doubt in part motivated by its claims that far-right neo-Nazi groups were powerful actors in the new Ukrainian government, it is surprising to me that the US and Canada voted against the bill. It seems purely a political move designed to try and discredit the Russian motion. What it does is discredit those who voted against the motion. Narrow as the motion is, it still expresses positions that both Canada, the United States, and the Ukraine actually all support. The Ukrainian vote is particularly significant since it suggests that approving the resolution would alienate the very right-wing neo-Nazi groups that the motion is directed against. Ukraine therefore voted against the motion to avoid alienating these groups. No doubt Russia hoped for just such a result. The US and Canada apparently will do anything that would irritate Russia.
Even Israel voted for the resolution parting company with its big supporter the United States. The Ukraine objected to the resolution because the country also suffered under Stalinism and felt that passing the resolution would minimize that suffering. This seems a bit bizarre. One cannot resolve to oppose one evil because others are not mentioned. The Canadian objection has a family resemblance to that of the Ukraine but is much more bizarre: But Canada objected because the resolution has a “narrow focus” and it draws on the controversial declarations of the 2009 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which Canada regards as anti-Semitic. Surely Canada should support a resolution that combats attempts to glorify Nazism even if the focus is narrow. Given that the content of the resolution opposes Nazism, how is it anti-Semitic? Canada claims it voted against the resolution because it is anti-semitic. How is it Israel did not vote against it? Maybe Obama told Harper how Canada should vote. Usually Canada supports the Israeli position.
The Jerusalem Post has an interesting comment by Dr. Efraim Zuroff, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem:“There is a very strong tendency in post-Communist Europe to try to rewrite the narrative of World War II and the Holocaust and to try and minimize crimes by local Nazi collaborators, to equate Communist crimes and suffering of Communist victims with Nazi crimes during the Shoah and to glorify local heroes who fought against the Communists even though some of them were actively involved in collaboration with the Nazis and mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust." Zuroff claims that many former Soviet countries, have tried to rewrite history with the Ukraine being among " the worst of them". The appended video also discusses aspects of the situation described by Zuroff.
Germany abstained from the resolution. This is somewhat surprising given that Germany is usually anxious to ensure other countries understand it rejects its Nazi past. Other countries such as Britain and France who suffered at the hands of the Nazis also abstained. The Russians, not surprisingly, expressed regret that not all countries supported the resolution. A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said: "The fact that the US, Canada and Ukraine voted against, while delegations from EU member states abstained in the vote on this draft resolution, which was supported by an overwhelming majority of the UN member states, is extremely regrettable...Ukraine’s position is particularly dispiriting and alarming. One can hardly understand how a country, the people of which suffered their full share of the horrors of Nazism and contributed significantly to our common victory against it, can vote against a resolution condemning its glorification."

Canada loses jobs in January

During January, the Canadian economy shed 21,900 jobs after two months of increases. The loss was largest in education and manufacturing jobs.

In spite of the loss of jobs, the unemployment rate in Canada has actually fallen even further to 7%. In December. the rate was at 7.1% which was also a decrease from the month before. These seeming contradictory movements are caused by many Canadians simply no longer seeking jobs and leaving the labor market for various reasons.Statistics Canada reports that 57,500 people stopped looking for jobs. This is over twice as many as there were lost jobs allowing the unemployment rate to decline.

Canadian housing starts also declined from 197,118 in December to 160,577 in January. On the employment front, Ontario and British Columbia registered declining employment while Alberta, Saskatchewan and also New Brunswick had increases. The construction industry was improving with 17,000 jobs added during January.

Doug Porter, the chief economist at BMO Capital Markets, said:"Combined with the steep drop in housing starts as well as the still-wide trade deficit, the jobs report rounds out a day of infamy for Canadian economic stats. To some extent, the drop in jobs appears to be a payback for the surprising strength in the second half of last year, and would normally be little cause for concern. However, with housing softening notably, and consumers and governments not in much mood (or ability) to spend, the economy will need a major helping hand from a stronger U.S. performance in the year ahead to help generate renewed job gains."

Many jobs that were lost were in the public sector which lost 27,000 jobs. Compared with January of 2012, the number of private sector employers was 1.9% higher while the number of public sector and self-employed remained relatively the same. Over an entire year, Statistics Canada reports that employment had increased 1.6% or by 286,000 in full time work. The number of hours worked on average also increased by 1.7%.

Canadian and US auto sales increase in 2012

US auto sales for 2012 are predicted to rise by 13% or 14.5 million new vehicles This is the best year since 2007. Canadian sales also rose in 2012.

Many people put off buying cars during the recession and their aging vehicles need to be replaced. As credit is cheap and the economy slowly recovers, sales are increasing. In December this year the big 3 American automakers saw a 5% increase in sales, a bit better than analysts had predicted. Compared with the previous December, GM sales increased by 5%, while Ford sales increased just 2%. The winner was Chrysler with a sales increase of 10%. Toyota increased sales by 8%. For the year, Toyota had a large increase of about 27% compared to just 3.7% for GM, 4.7% for Ford, and 21% for Chrysler. Consulting firm Polk, expects sales to continue increasing in 2013 to 15.3 million vehicles or a nearly 7% increase. Jonathan Browning, who is with Volkswagen in the US, warned however:

"It would have been nice if all the open questions had been resolved in the 'fiscal cliff' discussion over the holiday, but clearly they weren't, and that does extend this period of uncertainty from a consumer point of view."

In Canada, Ford Motor Co. of Canada was the top seller for the third straight year. Chrysler, however, with many fuel-efficient cars was able to become number two, replacing GM. Even though it is number one, Ford sold only 90 more vehicles last year than the year before. In December, sales actually slipped 13 % from 2011. Chrysler reported its sales rose 8% putting it in second place. Reid Bigland, CEO, of Chrysler Canada said:

"Our investment in fuel-efficient new vehicles and power trains has propelled us to be the number two seller.".

For the year, Chrysler car sales rose 33%. The Chrysler group is controlled by Fiat of Italy. Bigland predicted another good year for Chrysler in 2013.

Canadian economy slows in third quarter of 2012

In the July-September, third quarter, Canada suffered the largest drop in exports in three years. The economy grew at a 0.6% annual rate compared to 1.7% in the first two quarters.

While Canada has recovered relatively quickly from the recession compared to some other countries, growth has become more sluggish in 2012. and particularly in the last quarter. While the Bank of Canada and many economists had been expecting a slowdown in the third quarter the results were even weaker than expected.

Analysts predicted that even with the slowing economy, the Bank of Canada will still take the position that interest rate hikes may be needed down the road. Michael Gregory, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets said:

"The Bank of Canada bias is very much a long-term bias so it's not going to be changing any time soon. But there is no question the Canadian economy is under-performing a bit here and if this continues past the turn of the year and the whole 'fiscal cliff' in the U.S., we could see a different tone from the Bank of Canada. But it is way too early for that to be happening now."

The Bank has kept the benchmark rate at a low 1% for more than two years now.

The 0.6% growth rate was below a Reuters poll average of 0.9% and the Bank of Canada's forecast of 1%. The U.S. economy did much better during the period at 2.7%. Business investment in Canada actually declined by 0.6% in the third quarter. This is the first decline since 2009 and contrasts with a growth of 1.3% in the first quarter.

Exports were hard hit by the relatively weak growth in the U.S. and problems in Europe. They fell by 2% during the quarter. Consumer spending continues to increase in spite of the high debt load of many Canadians. It grew at the fastest pace in two years rising by almost 4%.

Residential housing construction also declined during the quarter by 4.4%. Tougher mortgage rules may be causing lower demand.

The Bank of Canada is predicting the the fourth quarter will see growth of 2.5% but with these latest figures that may be optimistic. Paul Ferley, an economist at the Royal Bank of Canada said:

"Expectations had been that after a weak third-quarter activity we would bounce back in the fourth quarter. It could still be the case, there were some temporary factors that don't look like they have fully reversed as yet, we may see that in October, but it may limit the rebound in the fourth quarter to something closer to 2 percent."

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Recession leads to steep decline in quality of life in Canada

The Canadian Well-being index shows that since the onset of the recession between 2008 and 2010, the quality of life deteroriated by 24%. Canada's GDP, in contrast, declined by only 8.3% during the same period.

The Canadian Well-being Index compilation is led by researchers at the University of Waterloo, Roy Romanow, former NDP premier of Saskatchewan, co-chairs the advisory group to the researchers.

Between 1994 and 2010 the Canadian GDP rose 29% but the Well-being Index grew only 5.7% during the same period. Romanow said:

"When Canada's economy was thriving, Canadians only saw modest improvements in their overall quality of life.But when the economy faltered, our well-being took a disproportionate step backward."

The report itself noted:

"Despite years of prosperity, our economic growth has not translated into similar significant gains in our overall quality of life,.Even more concerning is the considerable backslide Canadians have experienced since 2008."

Economists often measure economic progress simply in terms of increases in GDP. However, Romanow and his co-chair, Monique Begin, say in the introduction to their report:

"GDP tells us nothing about our people, our environment, our democracy, or other aspects of life that matter to Canadians."

Among the worrying trends are a long term decline in environmental quality, and less leisure time. As well, there was a sudden drop in living standards when the recession hit. However, violent crime and property crime are at their lowest levels since 1994.

Canada has one of the largest ecological footprints in the world per person. However, Peter Kent, the Canadian Environment minister, argues that emissions are starting to fall even as the economy is growing.

The standard of living has been declining considerably since the recession began. The report notes that during the last two years:

"The deterioration experienced by so many Canadians speaks to the growing unease felt across Canada and must be taken into consideration as our governments make decisions on how to steer us forward, particularly given predictions of an extended period of weak economic growth."

Romanow argues:"What we have to do as a nation and society is to develop a consciousness, develop public policies which address this." Harper argues that provinces rather than the federal government are better able to develop social policies to deal with regional variations. However, having national standards such as are associated with the Canada Health Act, would ensure that all Canadians have a certain level of services across the nation Perhaps next year, the group could measure the changes in quality of llife for the one per cent!

Quebec elects minority Parti Quebecois government

The CBC(Canadian Broadcasting System) has just predicted that the province of Quebec will have a PQ(Parti Quebois) minority government with the first female premier of the province, Pauline Marois.

A number of ridings are still to close to call but as of this poisting the results were as follows. The Parti Quebecois was leading in 56 ridings, the Quebec Liberals 47, and CAQ 20, and Quebec Solidaire 2. The Parti Quebecois is a separatist party.

Polls show that only 28% of Quebec residents support Quebec independence at present. This means that there is unlikely to be a referendum on the question in the near future as some separatist hardliners might wish.

However Marois is likely to ask for more powers from the federal government in certain areas. The Conservative government of Stephen Harper is very unpopular in Quebec. If Marois is unsuccessful in negotiating with Harper she may use this as an argument in favor of separation.

The Liberals did better than the last polls indicated and the CAQ did not do as well. Many voters were undecided until the very last and must have opted to vote Liberal to keep try to keep the PQ from forming a government even though the Liberal government is not at all popular. As I post this the Liberal leader Jean Charest was losingin his own riding.However the race was too close to call.

The PQ hoped to get a majority so that it could pass its program but now it will have to shelve anything that is controversial. The CAQ is a relatively right wing party and not committed to separatism. The whole idea of holding a referendum in the near future will no doubt be shelved.

The CAQ did not get as many seats as it had hoped. In fact with voters disliking both Liberals and PQ and the corruption in Quebec politics they even dreamed of forming their own minority government. However for a party that is less than a year old they did quite well.

Quebec Solidaire is a left leaning separatiste party. It managed to double its seats from one to two, so they were happy enough with their performance. No doubt many anglophones will be upset with the PQ winning. However, with a minority the PQ will not be able to do much to disturb the status quo in Quebec and any separatist moves will be on the back burner for now.

Canada retains top credit rating

Moody's Investors Service has renewed the triple-A rating for Canada. A review by the company found that Canada's economic performance and financial situation was sufficiently strong to retain the high rating.

The Moody's report noted:
"Although the recession caused a reversal of the improvement in the debt ratios, they did not deteriorate as much as in most other Aaa-rated countries, are now on an improving trend, and remain compatible with the country's Aaa rating."
Before the recession began, the federal government actually had been running budget surpluses for a number of years. With the recession, however, the Harper Conservative government spent on infrastructure and other projects meant to stimulate the economy. These expenditures and falling tax revenues because of the recession led to rising debt.
Many countries have had their credit ratings downgraded, particularly in Europe, and Canada remains among the few with triple-A ratings. Economist Dana Peterson and strategist Brett Rose claim that Canada has both political and fiscal stability and predict that rating agencies "will likely retain Canada's triple-A status in both the near and long term." Citigroup also had favorable predictions for Canada, noting that Canada was well ahead of schedule to cut the Canadian deficit by half by next year. The group said:

"Much of the savings are anticipated to come from restrained government program spending as well as moderately improved Canadian economic prospects...These actions may place additional drag on real output this year, but should be favourable for the Canadian economy over the longer term."
Credit ratings are one of the factors that determine the prices of bonds and also interest rates. High ratings are needed for certain funds such as pension plans. Often the ratings are used by politicians to show how well they are doing or by the opposition to show how badly a government is doing!

Wheel-chair bound man wins case against Montreal restaurant

Montreal - Michel Larochelle filed a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal after a waiter told him his service dog must leave the restaurant. The dog helps Larochelle to push his wheelchair up ramps and hills.
 In August 2009 Michelle Larochette went with a friend and Larochette's service dog Cici to the Caverne Grecque restaurant in Montreal. The waiter said that Cici could not enter the restaurant but must stay on the sidewalk. Cici helps Larochette negotiate hills and ramps as he has a manual wheel chair. Larochelle has been using the services of dogs from the MIRA foundation in Montreal since 1992.
 According to Larochelle the waiter argued that Cici would disturb other clients even though Cici was lying under the table where they were sitting and there were few clients on the terrace. Larochelle threatened to file a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission but the waiter still would not serve them while Cici was under the table.
 The Quebec Human Rights Commission came into being after amendments to the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. The Commission hears complaints on various issues."" As a specialized tribunal, the Human Rights Tribunal has jurisdiction to hear and rule on complaints concerning discrimination and harassment grounded on one of the motives prohibited under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. It can also hear cases concerning the exploitation of elderly people and people with disabilities as well as matters concerning affirmative action programs""
. The decision of the Commission took some time but last week the Commission agreed with Larochelle's complaint and ordered that the waiter and restaurant pay him $6,000 in damages. Larochelle said that disabled people cannot be treated as second-class clientele. Larochelle won a similar complaint back in 2005 against another restaurant. Larochelle is surprised he had been forced to make two complaints over a period of ten years to enforce his rights. For more see this article.

Canada silences short wave broadcasting

 For 67 years Radio Canada International broadcast short wave programming around the world. The transmission  from Sackville New Brunswick has now been shut down. Radio Canada International has had its budget cut by 80 per cent and has been reduced to a few staff and a weak web presence.
 As with vinyl records no doubt many think shortwave radio a thing of the past. Yet there are still many strong stations. It is not expensive to provide. Many church groups use it.
 Unlike the Internet which can often be disrupted short wave signals cannot easily be jammed. Many in the world just have no access to phones or electricity let alone the Internet. However battery and hand-cranked short wave radios are ubiquitous.
  In spite of  the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation being a prominent presence in Canada, Canada is just
16th of 18 countries in per capita spending on public broadcasting. Only the U.S. and New Zealand spend less. Conservatives are supposed to respect and encourage tradition. However short wave radio does not bring in any bucks or support the Conservative agenda so it should go For more see this article.
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Canada: Manitoba Highway closed by giant sinkhole

 A sinkhole 200 meters wide and more than five meters deep has closed Manitoba Highway 83 near Asessippi Provincial Park. Recent heavy rainfall may be responsible for the hole caused by an underground slide.
    The area has had problems for some time however from underground springs  that cause erosion. The highway is constantly being repaired. A dip will be filled in paved and then it starts to sink again. However this time the huge hole made the highway impassable.
   The hole was continuing to sink as of  Tuesday. Infrastructure and Transportation Department geotechnical experts are on site to determine the extent of the slide. The highway is closed from the park valley to the town of Roblin. However there is a detour and local traffic can still use other parts of the highway. No one knows when the highway can be reopened. For more see this article. The site if a little more than a half hour drive from where we live.

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Body of Nunavut community mayor finally found

Nunavut is a far northern area of Canada formed in 1999 from part of the Northwest Territories. It is about the size of western Europe but has a population of less than 32,000 people.

Jamesie Kootoo was the mayor of the small village of Kimmirut. Last November 26 he went hunting for a day but never returned. Community members started an exhaustive search but in the winter the weather often prevents searches and after several weeks search efforts were stopped until Spring.

The body was finally found about 50 kilometers north of the village near a large lake. He will be buried next week. Cause of death was not listed but I expect he froze to death. For more see this article. Some traditionalists have noted that snowmobiles can break down and leave a rider stranded while sled dogs are more reliable.

Canada drifting down in openness rankings

Once at the cutting edge of openness in government Canada now finds itself tied for 51st out of 89 countries ranked in terms of their openness. The 30th anniversary of Canada's Access to Information Act is coming up. At the time of passage the Act was regarded as quite progressive but little has been done to improve matters since while many other countries have moved forward. Canada is actually behind Angola, Colombia and Niger!

The Canadian Access to Information act passed in July of 1983 requires an application plus a five dollar fee to access a wide variety of records. Agencies and Departments are to respond within 30 days. However it can actually take over half a year or even more. Even when responses do come only a trickle of information may be released.

Activist groups have been calling for modernization of the act but the government has refused to act calling the thirty year old act a strong piece of legislation. The rankings report says of the Canadian system:"Canada's lax time lines, imposition of access fees, lack of a proper public interest override, and blanket exemptions for certain political offices all contravene international standards for the right of access," "Canada's antiquated approach to access to information is also the result of a lack of political will to improve the situation." They certainly have that right and as long as the present Conservative government is in power that will probably not change. For much more see this article.

Students in day of protest in Montreal and Quebec City

Thousands rallied in another day of protest in the Quebec cities of Montreal and Quebec City the capital of the province. The day of protest has been scheduled once a month since March but there have been regular protests almost every night in Montreal. The protests are over an increase in tuition fees originally but now are also over Bill 78 a draconian crack down on protests.

The protest yesterday was organized by CLASSE the largest and most militant of the Quebec student unions. Both protests were peaceful although the police declared protests in both cities illegal since no route was given beforehand. One arrest was made in Montreal.

Students plan to continue protests even over the summer. A CLASSE spokesperson said:"We think it's important to remind the Charest government the crisis is not over, and we'll continue to be in the streets, because we are still against the tuition hike and this is still our fight," Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of CLASSE said:"Negotiation or mediation will not be fruitful without a change of position from the Liberals. Hiking tuition will not lead to any fruitful negotiations, but we are willing to be a bit less rigid than we have been in the past." Protest numbers have dwindled recently. Quebec is governed by Liberals under Jean Charest. For more see this CBC article.

Wheat Board supporters lose key legal battle

Supporters of the Canadian Wheat Board which used to have sole power to market some grains in western Canada lost a legal battle when the Federal Court of Appeal overturned a lower court ruling that said that the Conservative government had broken the law when it took away the monopoly over wheat and barley sales without holding a plebiscite on the issue.

When the Conservatives originally passed legislation stripping the board of its monopoly supporters of the Wheat Board filed a lawsuit claiming that producers had to vote on any such changes. A lower court agreed last December but the government appealed. The Appeal court said there is nothing wrong with the government in effect changing its own law through parliament.

Justice Mainville wrote:"I am of the view that none of the arguments advanced by the respondents or the interveners can sustain an interpretation that would preclude the minister from introducing in Parliament legislation which would fundamentally modify the CWB's mandate or which would lead to the repeal of the CWB Act," This is the final nail in the coffin of the Board. The U.S.and big international grain companies had tried for years to destroy the board using international trade rules but always failed.

Farmers by electing the Conservatives have destroyed an institution that served them well. When the Wheat Board conducted its own survey a majority wanted the powers of the Wheat Board retained. However, Conservatives obtained large majorities in rural areas of the prairies and the Conservatives made it clear and a campaign promise that they would curb the power of the Wheat Board. The donations will come pouring in from the giant international grain traders. For more see this article.

Canada's population aging but toddlers surging too

Canada now has a higher proportion of seniors than ever before but at the same time the number of Canadians under five has also grown. The under five group has grown by 1 per cent a reversal of previous trends.

Laurent Marter from Statistics Canada said:"I wouldn't call it a baby boom, although I think we can call it a significant increase," But the most prominent increase is in people over 65.

In the last five years people over 65 have grown by 14.1 per cent. At the same time population growth overall has been just 5.9 per cent. The group is poised to grow even faster.

People aged 60 to 64 is the faster growing group increasing by 29.1 per cent since the last census five years ago. In contrast those under 15 grew by just .5 per cent. In a short time Canada will have more seniors than children.

. The median age in Canada is 40.6 the highest ever. Two decades ago it was 33.5. The Atlantic provinces and Quebec are aging more quickly than the west. In the Prairie provinces the proportion of seniors did not change at all. Perhaps this is because many seniors on the prairies move to more temperate climates such as BC. For much more see this CBC article.

Canada ranks 6th in Better Life Index rankings

Australia came up on top of the rankings in the Better Life Index of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Each of eleven categories were ranked in 36 countries.

In spite of the highest rankings the Labor government of Julia Gillard has low ratings in polls in Australia! However, the Index stats are excellent. Life expectancy is 82 years two years above the OECD average of 80. Employment is also well above the average.

After Australia the next best country is Norway. Coming in a respectable third is the U.S. in spite of having a relatively high unemployment rate. Canada is further behind coming sixth after fourth place Sweden and fifth place Denmark. Turkey was in last place.

The new scale was used beginning in 2011 as a way to measure well being of countries in more ways than simply economic growth. As well as income and education, the scale includes work-life balance and life satisfaction.

Canada shows increasing income inequality. The report notes::"In Canada, the [household net-adjusted disposable income] of the top 20 per cent of the population is 53,988 USD a year, whereas the bottom 20 per cent live on 10,077 USD a year." Canada does not fare well on work-life balance or civic engagement either.

The average voter participation in OECD countries is 73 per cent while Canada is just 61 per cent. For more see this article and also here.